Boehner: Privilege claim implies White House cover-up

6/20/12 11:23 AM EDT

On the heels of President Obama's decision to shield Department of Justice documents under the doctrine of executive privilege, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner wondered if White House officials were being involved in a cover-up.

"Until now, everyone believed that the decisions regarding ‘Fast and Furious’ were confined to the Department of Justice," Boehner spokesman Brendan Buck said in a statement.

"The White House decision to invoke executive privilege implies that White House officials were either involved in the ‘Fast and Furious’ operation or the cover-up that followed. The Administration has always insisted that wasn't the case. Were they lying, or are they now bending the law to hide the truth?” Buck said.

Administration officials dispute the implication, pointing to several cases under Republican administrations where executive privilege was invoked on behalf of agencies.

Executive privilege is not explicitly mentioned in the constitution, but has been recognized by the courts in several instances. The conflict sets up a showdown between Attorney General Eric Holder and Hill Republicans, who are scheduled to hold a contempt vote against Holder later today.

POLITICO's John Bresnahan and Jake Sherman have the full story on the homepage.